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The Bridge Chapels of Medieval Britain

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The Bridge Chapels of Medieval Britain Medieval London Bridge with its chapel dedicated to St Thomas the Martyr, a reconstruction produced by the late Peter Jackson THE BRIDGE CHAPELS OF MEDIEVAL The Wardens and Assistants of Rochester BRITAIN: a new gazetteer, plus Bridge (the Rochester Bridge Trust) and the cases studies and an international Bridge House Estates (established in 1282 to overview. maintain London Bridge in the City of London) represent extremely rare survivals of civic May 2019 bridge maintenance groups. Since the 12th Compiled by David Harrison, Peter McKeague century, and in all probability from much and Bruce Watson earlier, responsibility for maintaining and repairing Rochester Bridge lay with 54 parishes, manors and estates in the surrounding area. After the destruction of the Introduction bridge by flood in 1381 construction of a new Today national government agencies or local bridge with a chapel on its southern approach authorities are generally responsible for the were largely funded by Sir John Cobham and construction and maintenance of roads and Sir Robert Knolles. Subsequently Letters bridges, but in the Middle Ages the situation Patent of Richard II consolidated the earlier was quite different. Instead, landowners (both arrangement into a communality charged with secular and ecclesiastical) and local electing two wardens to oversee the communities undertook these duties. Bridge administration of the bridge through a trust in construction and maintenance were seen as 1399. Funds received enabled the trust to pious and charitable deeds because these maintain and eventually replace the bridge in actions were helping the community and 1856 and add two further bridges in 1970. preventing deaths or serious accidents which Today the restored chapel forms part of the might occur when people waded across fords. offices of the Trust known as the Bridge Prior to the Reformation, crosses and chapels Chamber on Rochester Esplanade (Fig 1). were common sights at bridges enabling travellers to offer prayers and (monetary) The practice of constructing bridge chapels in thanks on setting out or completing a journey. Britain and beyond during the medieval period is the subject of a major research project Some bridge chapels were founded to undertaken by David Harrison, Peter commemorate through prayer the deceased McKeague and Bruce Watson with the especially those who had funded the bridge Rochester Bridge Trust sponsoring the and or chapel. Elsewhere those who publication (see below for details). maintained the bridge, paid for the expenses of the chapel, as at London, Rochester and York. In a few instances the bridge chaplain was responsible for the maintenance of the bridge. 1 Figure 2. The restored chapel on Town Bridge, St Ives During the 13th century it became increasingly popular to leave an endowment for a priest or priests to say Mass on a regular basis either for a period or permanently for the benefit of the benefactor to reduce their time in Purgatory (the place in which the souls of those who died in a state of grace are believed to undergo a limited period of suffering to expiate their venial sins before they go to heaven). In common with other religious foundations, some bridge chapels benefited from such Figure 1. The façade of the Rochester Bridge chantry endowments. Only the wealthiest and chapel generally urban bridge chapels possessed a full-time priest. Rochester Bridge chapel from What are bridge chapels? 1399 until 1549 generally was staffed by three priests. Other chapels may have held only A bridge chapel is defined as a place a worship occasional services and Masses and some situated at the end of or built onto the examples were maintained by secular hermits. structure of the bridge. Ideally, the (see below). relationship between the chapel and the bridge it served should be documented to Some chapels like those on London Bridge (City prove that there was a link between these of London, see frontispiece) or Ouse Bridge in adjoining structures, but some sites possess no York were clearly integral features of such documentation. Most of the best-known construction. While the construction of some surviving examples of bridge chapels - St chapels, such as Catterick Bridge (North Bénezet’s Bridge, Avignon (France) see below, Yorkshire), Foss Bridge (York), Old Trent Bridge St Ives (Cambridgeshire) (Fig 2) or Wakefield (Nottingham) and Rochester were linked with (West Yorkshire) see below, all possess chapels either with the replacement or rebuilding of situated on an enlarged bridge pier. These existing bridges. Many bridge chapels are well-known examples have affected the poorly documented, so details like their popular perception of bridge chapels. Many precise location or dedication cannot be bridge chapels were located either at one end determined. While some possible examples of a bridge or situated a short distance away. which appear to be undocumented have only As well as Rochester, remains of chapels by the been identified from visual evidence. bridge end may be found at Cromford (Derbyshire) and Morpeth (Northumberland) (Fig 3). 2 There are numerous examples of indulgences (Gloucestershire), formerly possessed a cross (a remission of time your soul would spend in and an inscription. In 1956 a copy of the purgatory being cleansed of sin, so after this vanished inscription and a replacement cross process it could pass into heaven) being was erected on the bridge approach (Fig 4). granted by medieval bishops, archbishops and popes for the fabric of bridges and chapels. One early recipient of this practice was Thrapston Bridge (Northamptonshire). In 1213-14 Bishop of Hugh of Wells granted an indulgence to travellers contributing to the bridge and in 1313 Bishop Dalderby granted an indulgence on behalf of the fabric of the chapel. Figure 4. The replacement cross and inscription at the end of Maisemore Bridge Figure 3. The west front of Morpeth chapel Hospitals and Monasteries Hospitals, leprosaria (Leper hospitals) and Related Monuments monastic houses were an important aspect of medieval society found in urban, suburban and Crosses rural locations. Some were situated along bridge approach roads, where they could At a number of bridges, crosses are collect alms from wayfarers and offer shelter documented. These may once have been very to travellers. Documentary evidence confirms common features on bridges, but little that some of these institutions were evidence has survived. Presumably, they were responsible for the maintain of the adjacent places where donations could be offered or bridge, such as the Hospital of St Mary at prayers said. Plaques served as a public Strood (Kent), which was founded in 1192-93, reminder of the generosity of donors and by 1277 the hospital was running St Mary’s asked that travellers remember them in their chapel located at the north-western end of prayers. The number of crosses by or at bridges Rochester Bridge. Another example of this will never be known as they are largely practice was St Bartholomew’s Hospital at undocumented in medieval sources. Almost all Westgate Bridge in Gloucester. Harnham the examples of English bridge crosses were Hospital. Salisbury (Wiltshire), founded by destroyed during the Reformation and the Bishop Bingham of Salisbury before 1227, succeeding centuries. Maisemore Bridge initially also maintained the adjoining bridge 3 across the River Avon and St John’s Chapel. The convert the eastern end of St Ninian’s Chapel bishop originally intended that the chaplains of into a lighthouse. St John’s would conduct Masses for the benefit of travellers in the chapel with offerings Bridge Hermits collected paying for the bridge maintenance. Medieval hermits are often defined as male In 1397 the endowment of a chantry based in recluses, who withdrew from society and the new chapel at one end of Cross Bridge. sought a solidary existence. However, some Beverley (East Yorkshire) was also linked with pious laymen with a religious vocation, but establishment of a nearby new hospital for whose calling did not fit with any of the ‘twelve poor persons’ (Calendar Patent Rolls monastic orders or priesthood also described 1396-99, 162). Such well documented cases themselves as hermits, but they did not live as are rare. recluses. Sometimes, these pious individuals supported themselves by undertaking social Documentary evidence implies that the small duties including maintaining roads and chapel at Duxford (Cambridgeshire) standing bridges, the sort of philanthropic works now on the low causeway beyond Whittlesford undertaken by public bodies. Occasionally, Bridge, is the last remnant of the hospital of St ordinated priests became bridge hermits, but John the Baptist (founded c.1200, dissolved most of these individuals apparently were not c.1337) (Fig 5). However, all too often the members of any religious order. For instance, relationship between the religious institution in 1366 the hermit of Stockport Bridge and the adjacent bridge cannot be proven by (Cheshire) was a priest, who also ran the bridge documentary evidence chapel. Some medieval bridges possessed hermitage chapels and some hermits served as bridge-keepers (collecting alms, tolls, raising funds etc.). There was a hermitage chapel at Dartford Bridge (Kent) by 1415-16. Today a small stained glass window (added 1905) in north- west corner Holy Trinity parish church in Dartford, commemorates the hermits of Dartford, it is known as ‘the hermit’s window’ (Fig 6). Figure 5. Duxford Chapel Fords, ferries and lighthouses A number of medieval fords and ferries also possessed chapels for travellers to offer prayer before or on completion of a safe journey. At Wadebridge (Cornwall) before the bridge was constructed during the 15th century there were chapels at either end of the ford across the River Camel. The building of lighthouses to assist navigation was also seen pious charitable work. The 13th-century lighthouse known as the Tower of Hook, located at the eastern entrance to Waterford Harbour in Ireland is still functioning and it is believed to be one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world.
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